Using Cash To Find Quality

One of the reasons people enter consumer generated content contests is for the recognition. Now, thanks to a new Super Bowl promotion, would be directors can enter for the money.
According to The Wall Street Journal, PepsiCo is offering $1 million to anyone who can create a Super Bowl commercial for its Doritos tortilla chip brand that trumps all other ads in viewer rankings during the annual gridiron matchup.
PepsiCo’s consumer-generated ad would have to outperform the King of Beers, which has won the top spot for the past 10 years in a row.
Even if none of five finalists topples Bud, each will still receive $25,000 and a trip to the Super Bowl.
There’s a line in the article about consumer generated ads, that I need to call attention to:

…a new trend that shook up Madison Avenue by proving some ordinary folks, too, can create ads that can measure up to what highly paid creative executives produce.

Incorrect! The vast majority of these contests produce no on-brand marketing materials of any kind. But, this PepsiCo cash offering will likely draw out the film school students. For a cool mil, minus taxes, (plus airtime on the Super Bowl) might be enough to make that indie film they’ve been shopping to Parker Posey.

Related

Co-founder and editor of AdPulp. I wrote my first ad for a political candidate when I was 17 years old. She won her race and I felt the seductive power of advertising for the first time. I worked for seven agencies in five states before launching my own practice in 2009. Today, I am head of brand strategy and creative at Bonehook in Portland, Oregon.

Search

About AdPulp.com

AdPulp.com offers an inside look at topical issues in brand communications, plus an eclectic sampling of creative output from around the world.